UK Gambling Commission Formally Awards National Lottery Licence to Allwyn

Allwyn Entertainment Ltd (Allwyn), a wholly owned subsidiary of Allwyn AG, has been officially awarded the Fourth Licence to operate the National Lottery for a decade starting February 1, 2024.

This formal award by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) kickstarts the process of transition to a bigger, better, and safer National Lottery. Under Allwyn’s stewardship, sales growth is expected to result in the money allocated to UK good causes more than doubling.

As the new operator of the National Lottery, Allwyn will prioritise the protection of all participants, particularly those who are vulnerable, and discourage excess, unaffordable play whether online or in stores. Allwyn also intends to reinvigorate safer draw-based games. With 16 months remaining until the start of the new chapter for the National Lottery, an intensive transition period lies ahead. To that end, Allwyn has opened an office in Watford in order to work near the heart of the current operations, thereby helping to ensure Allwyn and Camelot can work collaboratively to deliver the transition successfully.

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Allwyn’s chairman Justin King said: “Today’s award formally marks a fresh start for the National Lottery. We have exciting plans for this important and cherished institution, crucially raising even more proceeds for good causes across the country, improving the player experience through the latest technology and ensuring safe participation. Everyone at Allwyn is ready to meet the challenge of working under a shortened timeframe for transition. We look forward to working closely with Camelot’s team over the coming months to ensure the lottery is in its best ever shape when we take the reins in February 2024.”

Sir Keith Mills, bid chair during the Fourth National Lottery Licence Competition and now senior independent director, commented on the formal award of the Fourth National Lottery Licence: “The whole team at Allwyn is immensely proud to be taking on the responsibility for growing the National Lottery over the next ten years. In our bid proposals we set out our plans to win back customers that have stopped playing and to bring a new generation of players to the National Lottery by introducing new games and technology to capture the imagination of the nation. I’m really looking forward to working with Justin, the Allwyn board and the wider management team to manage the transition as we take over in 2024.”

Allwyn’s CEO David Craven said: “This moment signals a time for change for the National Lottery. We have already begun this exciting new chapter; our transformation programme has started with energy and purpose from our Watford based headquarters. We must seize this moment, creating the right conditions for The National Lottery to innovate. Our primary transition objective is to responsibly boost performance leading to increased contributions to good causes. We look forward to welcoming the existing Camelot colleagues in Watford to be part of this new, exciting chapter.”